Home Depot Learns to Go Local†

Uniform Approach Didn't Cut It; Unsold Mowers in Arizona, Too Few Power Tools Out West

Wall Street Journal, October 7, 2008 — Shortly after taking command of Home Depot Inc. in early 2007, Frank Blake found a pyramid of riding lawn mowers outside a store in Arizona, where lush lawns are uncommon. It turned out the store had sold only one such mower in two years. Then, he learned that the retailer was chronically short of Makita power tools on the West Coast, where they sell particularly well.

Mr. Blake ordered changes in Home Depot's purchasing system, which had favored national uniformity at the expense of local customer preferences... The shift in Home Depot's buying patterns highlights a tricky problem for national retailers: balancing local demand with national efficiency. In Home Depot's case, the new, more targeted buying has helped lower merchandise costs by reducing... continue reading

Efforts to Centralize, Integrate Marketing Function Falling Short

Marketing Charts, March 11, 2008 — Despite a growing trend to centralize the marketing function and integrate its disciplines, only 13% of senior marketers are very satisfied with their company’s marketing structure, according to new research by the Association of National Advertisers.

Moreover, though 37% of executives surveyed report that their marketing department interacts and advises their company at a higher level now than two years ago, only 21% say marketing interacts at the C-level of the company:

Reorganization Doesn't Do It for Marketers†

ANA Survey Reveals Little Satisfaction With Company Marketing Structures

Advertising Age, March 4, 2008 — Marketers apparently can't get enough of reorganization, but they aren't getting much satisfaction from it either.

Despite widespread and growing reorganization within their marketing ranks, highlighted by trends toward centralization and integration, only 13% of senior marketers say they're "very satisfied" with their companies' marketing structures, according to a survey released today by the Association of National Advertisers.

How to Make the Move Up to General Manager†

Four Things to Consider Before Taking the Next Step

Advertising Age, March 3, 2008 — For all the arguments calling for longer tenure, a majority of marketing leaders aren't intent on being career CMOs. Most aspire to trade their functional experience and take a chance on general management.

In a recent Spencer Stuart study of 500 marketing executives across industries, only 30% want to be a CMO, while 70% of respondents have long-term aspirations of becoming general managers.

It's not an outlandish goal. Broad cross-functional complexity, tied directly back to P&L results, often makes a marketing career a natural route to general management.

After years of planning, implementing and evaluating marketing programs, should general management be your next step?

Move Past Stereotypes and Connect With CIOs†

Hook Up: Why the IT Organization Doesn't Have to Be a Marketing Obstacle

Advertising Age, March 3, 2008 — Chief marketing officers work tirelessly to meet the needs of their customers, who are demanding a higher level of personalization as they interact with marketers. CMOs want to implement better websites, more-effective customer-relationship-management systems to boost customer service and e-mail-message relevance, and self-service options in stores and online. Unfortunately, they commonly face a major obstacle: the chief information officer and IT organization, who often respond to requests for projects with the same answer: no.

But with technology playing an even greater role in marketing activities and the importance of the customer experience, CMOs need to put an end to this pattern and form strategic relationships with their CIOs.